PODCAST

May 25th, 2018

During hardships, it is very easy to feel put off when people say, “Just have faith.” People naturally want to say something helpful in times of sorrow, loss, or suffering.

Faith does not make every problem go away; choosing to hold onto faith, however, helps us (and others) to see God’s power at work in distressing situations. In 2 Kings 5, Namaan was initially angered by the prophet Elisha’s simplistic suggestion that washing in the Jordan river would heal his leprosy. He felt he had had wasted time seeking out the power of Israel’s God only to be told to dunk himself in a muddy river.

Namaan had a choice. He could keep his leprosy and go home, or he could choose to have faith in his slave girl’s God and follow Elisha’s instructions. Urged by his servants, Namaan chose faith. As he returned home completely healed, he could not say that he regretted holding onto the little faith he had, which was made stronger by the miracle he saw God work in his life.